About Delmarva Eastern Surfing Association

The Eastern Surfing Association, founded in 1967, is the largest amateur surfing association in the world. Our family oriented programs promote a healthy and active lifestyle. It is not uncommon to find two or three generations of the same family involved as members of the ESA, and actively competing in our program. Two of the original founders of the ESA, Cecil Lear and David Reese, are still active in the association fifty years later.
The Association’s activities are organized into a total of twenty-five districts, which extend along nearly 2,000 miles of coastline. Stretching from Maine through the Gulf Coast of Florida, Alabama, and the Great Lakes, each district’s programs are developed and operated by a dedicated group of volunteer directors and staff.

The Delmarva District of the ESA began in 1969 by a small group of Ocean City MD surfers, and its first Directors were Al and Skill Johnson. Today surfers from DE, MD and Virginia’s Eastern Shore compete within the DELMARVA ESA District.

The Delmarva District hosted the first ESA Mid-Atlantic Region Championships at 46th St.Ocean City, MD in 1984, and three more times over the years.
The District has launched the pro surfing careers of Jay Reale, Brian Stohrer, and Max Hoshino. We are also proud that surfers from DMV ESA have gone on to distinctive careers as an Orthopedic Surgeon, a Marine Geographer, University professors, lawyers, successful private business men and women, even one member works on Capitol Hill !

The Delmarva District encourages participation by surfers of all ages, and all skill levels. We depend on the volunteer service of our District Directors and all our member volunteers who help us provide fun, efficient and skill building surf contests!

MEET YOUR DISTRICT DIRECTORS

Jeff and Kathy Phillips live in Ocean City, MD and have been volunteering their time to the ESA for over 40 years. They ran the MARYLAND ESA District from 1978 until 2003, and Kathy was employed as the Executive Director of the ESA’s national programs from 1990 to 2006. Both returned to service in 2016 as volunteer Directors of the DMV District. Jeff sits on the Board of Directors of the Eastern Surfing Association representing the Delmarva District and Kathy sits on the Board as Director Emeritus.

​Jeff is an English teacher in the Worcester County, MD school system and Kathy is the Executive Director of a local non-profit Assateague Coastal Trust and speaks for our local waterways and ocean as the Assateague COASTKEEPER, a member of WATERKEEPER Alliance. Both enjoy watersports, camping, traveling, and advocating for the preservation of Worcester County natural resources.

Mark Donohue: “I first learned to surf when I was 13 from my Uncle in Ocean City MD and it started the greatest adventure of my life. Any chance I had to paddle out I took advantage of it. It influenced my decision to start University after high-school at UNCW and to add in a semester in Newcastle, Australia surfing the Eastern coastline. I’ve also spent time surfing throughout the USA from Northern and Southern California to the East Coast from Florida to New Jersey. The thing I love most about East Coast surfers is their dedication when it comes to getting the most from the surf regardless of the conditions. East Coast surfers often defeat their West Coast counterparts in competition because they do not take for granted any open face or curling lip. Surfing Ocean City, Assateague and Delaware beaches has been the primary bedrock of my surfing and I am honored to contribute my talents to our thriving Delmarva surf community and growing it for future generations to enjoy.”